Nearly 4 year old with no trike/bike experience, what to buy or where to start?

[Inyournewdress]

For various reasons dd hasn’t had any real experience with trikes or bikes and I need to sort that out. She has had the odd go on a tricycle I think but I wasn’t there as it was at a preschool.

All the options now have me quite confused especially as she is a little bit older to be starting. What comes first, trike or balance bike? Do you do both? Should I get a fairly cheap convertible one and see how she gets on with each? I wonder if she will be a bit big for some of them. I figure i should probably do one of these rather than go straight to a bike with stabilizers?

Help a clueless person out please!

Definitely balance bike. Trikes and stabilisers are a waste of time and a cul de sac. Balancing bikes are great fun and a much better prep for actual bikes

I'd just get a normal bike, take the pedals off for a while so it's a balance bike, then put them back on.

Get a balance bike. The harder skill to learn is balancing. She probably can pedal already, if she’s used trikes at pre school. Once she’s super confident on a balance bike, the transition to pedal bike (no stabilisers!) is honestly so easy, my 4 year old literally did it after 10 minutes on her first day.

given her age it might be worth getting one which converts from balance bike to pedal bike, or even just getting a pedal bike and taking the pedals off to start with. She might not use the balance bike long enough to justify buying one outright.

would strongly recommend a good quality very lightweight bike such as a Frog or Islabike, second hand, over a new cheap Halfords one. They weigh a ton and make it very hard work to learn.

Balance bike then straight onto pedals on a lightweight 2 wheeler when she's ready. Can even get a 2 wheeler where you take off the pedals til she's ready for them.

I’d go for a tricycle. Maybe one with a basket on the back so she can use if for imaginative play too.
They tend to be for up to age 5 so should be ok.
She can then gain confidence with steering pedalling and stopping before moving onto a 2 wheeler with stabilizers.

Balance bike, but at 4 you might be better buying a small light pedal bike and just taking the cranks and pedals off until she has the hang of balancing. The seat needs to be low enough to get both feet flat on the floor. Practise pedalling the trike a bit at nursery and scooting on the balance bike until she can glide with both feet off the floor. Then put the pedals back on, very gentle slope for a bit of momentum and off you go!

As a reception year teacher, a balance bike! Not always easy for every child, but really does help them transition more easily to a standard bike.

Balance bike - with a brake!

Mine had a balance bike from age 2-4 years. He then tried a proper bike with stabilisers but he never really got on with them. We took the stabilisers off and he pushed himself around as if the bike were a balance bike, within a short space of time after he got used to it he was riding with the pedals (age 4).

She's probably too big for an actual balance bike now, but you can just get a normal bike and remove the pedals which makes it basically the same thing. Make sure she learns to use the brakes to stop, rather than just dragging her feet. If she just drags her feet, when you put the pedals back on she won't be able to stop.

Ideally remove the cranks and chain as well if you can but that's quite a lot more complicated.

Also be aware when removing the pedals that the left one might unscrew clockwise.

At that age DS was in similar position, we went for a balance bike and it was brilliant. He went to a normal bike (no stabilizers) within 2yrs.

The brand we went with was Strider, if you’re interested in specifics.

Subscribe to Bike Club. Then you can have a balance bike for a few months then move onto a pedal bike without having to buy two bikes.

We got a second hand Islabike as they’re nice and light. Had the pedals in my handbag for a while until one day when he suddenly asked me to put them on and never looked back 😊
They learn how to compensate when the bike tips to the side a bit, and use their core muscles to balance. Much more natural progression than rattly old stabilizers.

Balance bike

Agree with the others, get a regular bike and remove the pedals, she will probably pick it up really quickly and you would not need the balance bike for too long.

Thank you so much everyone for all the advice, it’s really helpful.
I have been trying to explain to DM who was all, ‘no pedals, a bike with no pedals?! ‘ 😂